Trackway and Method for Manufacturing a Trackway

ABSTRACT

In a trackway made of concrete slabs ( 1 ) with rails ( 2 ) for guiding rail-bound vehicles such as railways or tramways, the rails ( 2 ) are arranged countersunk in each case one groove in the slab ( 1 ) and are guided with an elastic sleeve ( 3 ). The rails ( 2 ) have a rail head ( 7 ), a rail web ( 8 ) and a rail foot ( 9 ), wherein a minimum width (B) of the groove is larger than the maximum width (b) of the rail foot ( 9 ). The concrete slabs ( 1 ) are prefabricated components which have positioning elements and connecting elements at their end sides and are permanently connected to one another. The rails ( 2 ) are longer than the slab ( 1 ) and are pressed into the elastic sleeve ( 3 ) of a plurality of slabs ( 1 ). In a method for manufacturing a trackway made of concrete slabs ( 1 ) with rails ( 2 ), the slab ( 1 ) is manufactured with the groove and is then installed in the trackway. Finally, the rails ( 2 ) are pressed into the elastic sleeve ( 3 ) of a plurality of successive slabs ( 1 ).

The present invention refers to a trackway made of concrete slabs with rails for guiding rail-bound vehicles such as trains or trams in which all rails on the slab are in each case arranged in a countersunk way in one groove and guided by an elastic sleeve; they also have a rail head, a rail web and a rail foot, and where the minimum width of the groove is larger than the maximum width of the rail foot as well as to a method for manufacturing the corresponding track.

From AT 403 386 B, a trackway made of concrete slabs and rails is known in which various concrete slabs shaped like base slabs and inner slabs are used. The base slab and inner slab are arranged in a displaced way to each other, which results in an interlocking and therefore in a connection of the abutting slabs. In the rail region, the base slab and the inner slab have a gap in which in each case a rail with elastomeric profiles is jammed into its rail web. Different types of rails can be used for this, differing especially in the shape of their rail foot. If a rail with a bulbous rail foot is used, the rail can be pressed into the elastomeric profile. The disadvantage of this design is the time-consuming construction with different concrete slabs that must be matched and placed on top of one another. In addition, the concrete slab tolerances near the rails cause different jamming forces that act on the rail. An exact guiding of the rails is therefore not possible.

Furthermore, DE 196 04 887 C2 describes a ballast-free upper construction for rail trains in which rails with a bulbous rail foot are used. Grooves filled with an elastic profile element are foreseen for the slabs in the rail area. The rail, whose rail foot acts as a counter surface to the profile element, is inserted into the elastic profile element. The slabs consist of in-situ concrete and are made with the sliding molding method on location. The individual slabs are connected to the subsurface, but arranged with gaps separating them form one another. In the gaps between each neighboring slab, jamming bodies have been placed to prevent the rails from stretching or moving longitudinally. The disadvantage of this design is that the individual slabs must reproduce exactly the course of the trackway line during manufacturing. The grooves manufactured for an initial slab must be truly aligned with the grooves of the next slab already during manufacturing. Corrections are hardly possible without a great deal of effort. Moreover, because the slabs are independent from one another when the sub-surface is set, the course of the rails is greatly disturbed, as the individual slabs move out of the straight course of the rails and when doing so, could even loosen the fastening of the rails in the profile element. This could greatly endanger the operation of the train.

The task of this invention is therefore to create a safe trackway for rail-guided vehicles that is quickly manufactured with simple and uniform structural components.

The task is solved with a trackway made of concrete slabs with rails for guiding rail-bound vehicles such as trains or trams in which every rail on the slab is arranged in a countersunk way in one groove and guided by an elastic sleeve. The rails have a rail head, a rail web and a rail foot, whereby the minimum width of the concrete groove is larger than the maximum width of the rail foot. The rail foot is preferably bulbous (and even better wedge-shaped) to facilitate the assembly of the rail into the elastic sleeve and also to allow immobilization of the rail in upward vertical direction.

The concrete slabs are prefabricated parts manufactured uniformly. Positioning elements and connecting elements on which the individual neighboring concrete slabs are firmly attached to one another have been foreseen for the frontal sides of the prefabricated parts. The rails are longer than the corresponding slabs and are pressed into the elastic sleeve of several slabs owing to the special execution of the rail foot and the concrete slab groove. Through the positioning elements and connecting elements, the neighboring concrete slabs are attached to one another in a defined way and create a continuous and uniform-acting trackway. Slight settlements of the sub-surface below a concrete slab do not lead immediately to a height displacement of the concrete slab compared to the neighboring slabs. As a result of this, the rails remain safely guided in the groove and the elastic sleeve. Rails and concrete slabs constitute a continuous track that allows rail-guided trains or trams to travel on the rails safely and without malfunctions. The simple and uniform slabs constitute—like the rails—a common collaboration and thus provide a stable trackway without numerous different structural parts that due to their manufacturing or laying tolerances would create weak spots on the trackway.

It is advantageous for the rails to be welded continuously to one another, thus creating a very long continuous trackway similar to a rigid track system for high-speed tracks. Thanks to the simple construction design, the trackway according to the invention can also be profitably used for slower rail-bound vehicles.

If the elastic sleeve is made of a PU layer, then it is possible to manufacture this sleeve very easily. It can be made either from a slab-shaped material and incorporated into the prefabricated concrete part or also be largely shaped like the rail anchored in the concrete slab. Polyurethane is a very suitable material for damping noise and oscillation and also very durable because it can resist environmental factors that act upon it.

If the sleeve is largely a continuous profile, then the laying of the sleeve on several slabs of the trackway can be done very quickly and simply, but it can also be foreseen for every one of the slabs of the rigid track system to have individual sleeves arranged separately from the sleeve of the neighboring slab.

It is advantageous for the elastic sleeve to consist primarily of a structural component that has a cross-section of constant thickness so the sleeve can be manufactured easily and economically. Especially in this design, the manufacturing can be done with a slab-shaped or extruded material—even a cast shaped element has proven to be very advantageous for the elastic sleeve. For example, a rail can serve as a part of the shape. The shaped element can, if cast or extruded, also have different thicknesses.

The positioning elements of the concrete slabs consist advantageously of at least one cam and a pocket on the frontal sides of the slabs that face the neighboring slabs. In this case, one cam of the first slab acts together with one pocket of a neighboring second slab, thus creating some sort of interlocking between the two neighboring slabs. This interlocking can be such that it is created as soon as the slabs are placed exactly next to each other, but it can also be tolerated for the slabs to be aligned with respect to one another on location. At any rate, the positioning elements cause neighboring slabs to be sufficiently connected to each other to ensure a safe tightening of the rail.

To connect neighboring slabs in a simple way, it is advantageous to arrange the connecting elements on the sides of the slabs. For this purpose, special screws that from the lateral front sides of the slabs can reach from a first slab to the second neighboring slab. The anchoring of the screws in the neighboring slab is done with plastic anchoring bolts embedded into the slab. The screws can be expansion screws with which a defined pre-tension can be applied to ensure that the neighboring slabs are tightly connected.

It is advantageous if the slabs are placed on a grit track formation. This is a particularly economical and—especially for vehicles traveling slowly—sufficient arrangement of the slabs.

To prevent rainwater from penetrating the gap between two neighboring slabs and flush out the subsoil or corrode the screws, it is especially advantageous if a sealing joint is placed between the neighboring slabs. This sealing profile joint is inserted before the slabs are screwed in and tightly pressed into the gap between two slabs by the screw connection.

If a sleeve groove has the same or lesser width than the width of the rail web, it can affect the clamping force of the rail. If the width of the groove is smaller, the elastic sleeve is pressed together more forcefully—if the rail has been assembled—as if the groove is wider in unstressed state. As a result of this, the rail's slipping resistance increases.

If the slab is made of a material such as high-strength concrete and/or has been executed with a surface structure, then street vehicles can drive directly over it. A trackway can thus be rapidly and economically manufactured.

It is favorable for the rail head of the rails that have been embedded into the slab to be wider than their rail foot because for this reason the rail can support itself on the elastic sleeve above their rail head and be positioned with great accuracy.

The groove has been arranged in the slab or a hump on the slab. If arranged in the slab itself, vehicles with rubber tires can drive over the slab, for example. The hump construction allows the use of additional sound insulation material and improvements in the rail's dirt prevention and drainage of rainwater or snow.

For even better water drainage, it is advantageous for the hump to have gaps all the way to the slab so rainwater that has collected between the rails can flow out towards the side of the slab.

In the manufacturing process of a trackway made of concrete slabs with rails according to the invention for guiding rail-bound vehicles such as trains or trams, the rails in the slab are in each case arranged in one groove and guided with an elastic sleeve.

After the slab and the groove have been manufactured, the slab is built into the trackway, and the rails are finally pressed into the elastic sleeve of several successive slabs. Generally, another rail assembly is not necessary, so a very fast assembly of the rail is possible. In addition, the rail is very accurately positioned and at the same time stored in a cushioned way.

It is better for the slab to be paved over with auxiliary rails that can be removed from the slab after the latter has hardened. In this case, the auxiliary rails can already create the exact shape of the needed groove but they can also just indicate the shape of the future groove for the exact shape to be created by machining later. This can be advantageous when the auxiliary rail is removed from the mold if as a result of this undercuts or slight drafts of the mold are prevented if applicable.

If the elastic sleeve as a built-in part is set in concrete together with the auxiliary rail and remains in the slab after the auxiliary rail has been removed from the slab, then it is not necessary to assemble the sleeve separately. Thus, the slab is already ready for the rail assembly.

If the auxiliary rail has the dimensions of the rail and the elastic sleeve and the latter is built into the slab after the auxiliary rail has been removed, then a very fast assembly of profile and rail is possible—especially when the used sleeve has been largely executed as a continuous profile. As a result of this, there are also fewer bumps in the sleeve and this improves the sleeve's useful life. In this case, after the slab has been built into the trackway, the elastic sleeve is preferably built into several slabs.

In order to be able to make the groove especially accurate to size, it is preferably made by grinding or milling so it can be built into the slab completely. In case an auxiliary rail is used, the basic shape with larger dimensions is made, and subsequent milling creates the exact form.

If the elastic sleeve is made first and independently from the slab and the sleeve as a built-in part is positioned while the concrete is being poured over the finished part in the slab's casing, then it will be ensured with factory-produced accuracy that the sleeve representing the rail's mounting support will be exactly positioned with respect to the track gauge or with respect to a curved shape of the track. To obtain the desired surface of the slab, it is advantageous if it is concreted on the head (i.e. the future upper side of the slab) downwards into the casing. By giving the casing a special form, the corresponding slab surface can be conserved. After the concrete has hardened, the slab's casing is removed and built into the trackway. Finally, the rail is pressed into the elastic sleeve of several slabs.

Not only is a high degree of accuracy achieved, but by using the sleeve as a built-in part during the manufacturing process of the prefabricated slab, additional costs for building the elastic sleeve into a separately manufactured groove are avoided as well. Additionally, it is ensured that there will be no tolerances between the sleeve and the groove of the prefabricated concrete part into which rainwater could penetrate and destroy the sleeve or the concrete. Contrary to grouting a gap between the rail and the groove with an elastomer, this invention also ensures that the elastomer will actually envelop the rail uniformly and no unwanted hollow spaces caused by improper grouting will occur. The recasting of the finished sleeve with the concrete of the prefabricated slab allows for a durable, uniform and very precise positioning and setting of the rail. By pressing the rail into the sleeve, a fast assembly and—if needed—disassembly of the rail is thus ensured. Generally, it is not necessary to adjust the rail on location.

It is particularly advantageous if a rail is used for positioning the sleeve when concreting the prefabricated concrete slab and the rail is removed once again after the slab has been lifted from the casing. This simple method ensures that the sleeve will retain the exact shape needed for installing the later rail. Owing to the fact that the rail is pressed into the elastic sleeve and can also be pulled out of it, the use of such a rail piece by itself for positioning the sleeve during concreting is very advantageous.

If the rails are welded continuously to one another outside the slab and subsequently put into the sleeve, an additional connection of the individual prefabricated concrete slabs to one another is created. The continuously welded rails create—apart from the positioning and connecting elements foreseen in the slabs—an extra attachment of the neighboring slabs to one another. A safer train operation is thereby ensured by keeping the vehicle within the track as well.

It is especially advantageous if the rails that are continuously welded together are pressed into the sleeve. This can be done, for example, by letting a rail-laying vehicle be driven over the already laid rails so it can place the rail sections to be laid anew on the groove. The weight of the rail-laying vehicle will gradually press the rail into the groove and in between the sleeve, thus achieving a continuous process that can be carried out very quickly for laying the continuously welded rails on the groove of the prefabricated slab.

For a trackway used for trains or trams traveling at low speed without much weight, it is cost-effective and sufficient if the slabs are laid on a grit track formation to ensure sufficient load-carrying capacity. Needless to say, a grouting of the prefabricated slabs with the subsoil can be done in a known way.

If the slabs are and positioned towards each other on the track and tightly attached to one another, a continuous trackway is created that allows a highly precise positioning and long-lasting attachment of the rails onto the slabs. It is advantageous if the slabs are attached with a screw connection because in this case the slabs are pressed tightly against one another, thus providing for a firm trackway.

To prevent rainwater from penetrating into the gap between two trackway slabs, it is advantageous to seal the bumps between two neighboring slabs.

If a sleeve groove is manufactured with the same or a smaller width than the one of the rail web, then this can affect the rail's clamping force.

Additional advantages of the invention are described in the following execution examples, which show:

FIG. 1 a top view of a prefabricated slab according to the invention;

FIG. 2 a section from a frontal area of a prefabricated slab;

FIG. 3 a longitudinal section through a connecting point of two prefabricated concrete slabs;

FIG. 4 a connecting device between two prefabricated concrete slabs;

FIG. 5 a cross-section through a laid prefabricated concrete slab;

FIGS. 6 & 7 a cross-section through a laid prefabricated concrete slab with hump, and

FIG. 8 a lateral view of a slab with hump.

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a prefabricated concrete slab 1 that is connected to neighboring prefabricated concrete slabs 1′ and 1″. In the prefabricated concrete slab 1 there are two rails 2 that have been laid parallel to each other. The rails 2 are in each case led continuously in a sleeve 3. On the abutting faces of the prefabricated concrete slabs 1 and 1′ or 1 and 1″, positioning elements shaped in each case by two cams 4 and two pockets 5 are arranged. Because the cams 4 and the pockets 5 interlock, they make the prefabricated concrete slabs 1, 1′, and 1″ to position themselves with respect to each other. In addition, connecting elements have been foreseen with which the slabs 1, 1′, and 1″ attach to one another. The connecting elements are screws 6 that are screwed from the lateral edge of the corresponding slab 1, 1′ and 1″ diagonally into the neighboring slab 1, 1′, and 1″. As a result of this, the two neighboring slabs are pulled firmly towards one other, thereby creating a firm trackway that makes it possible to mount the rail 2 continuously onto the sleeve 3. Thanks to the connecting elements, the slabs 1, 1′, and 1″ are so firmly attached to each other that they become less sensitive to isolated settlements of the subsoil and also more suitable for withstanding higher loads than if they would have caused a discontinuous mounting of the rails 2 had they not been attached to each other.

FIG. 2 shows a section from an abutting face of the prefabricated concrete slab 1 where it can be seen that the rail 2 has been sunk into a groove of the prefabricated concrete slab 1. The rail 2 is surrounded by the sleeve 3, which is tightly arranged directly on the groove of the slab 1. The rail 2 consists of a rail head 7, a rail web 8, and a rail foot 9. The rail foot 9 has a bulbous shape to allow the rail to be firmly placed within the sleeve 3, since the rail web 8 has been made thinner than the rail foot 9. The width b of the rail foot 9 is also smaller than the groove's width B in the slab 1. The width B has been measured in such a way that the rail foot 9 can be moved throughout when the rails 2 are pressed into or taken out through the area where the rail web 8 is located in the assembled state. Furthermore, the width B must also be dimensioned so the width b of the rail foot 9 can go through this spot even with constricted sleeve 3. However, enough resistance must also be present to sufficiently make the rail 2 remain fixed in place in the groove. Only with more force than the expected one can the rail 2 be pressed into the groove or pulled out of it again for assembly purposes. In addition, the rail head 7 is wider than the rail foot 9.

Moreover, the drawing of FIG. 2 also shows a section from the cam 4. The cam 4 has a conical shape so the neighboring slabs 1 can be easily inserted and centered.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the positioning elements of the two slabs 1 and 1′. The positioning elements consist of the cam 4 and the pocket 5 into which the cam 4 extends. Cam 4 and pocket 5 have a conical shape so the slabs 1 and 1′ can be centered if these are laid next to each other. To seal the space between the slabs 1 and 1′, a sealing joint 10 is placed over the upper side of the slabs 1 and 1′. If the slabs 1 and 1′ are mounted together and attached to one another, the sealing joint 10 is squeezed, thus sealing off the gap against rainwater.

FIG. 4 shows a section of two lateral surfaces of two slabs 1 and 1′ with their corresponding connecting elements, which consist 3 f screws 6 that—starting from a first slab 1, 1′—are screwed diagonally into the second slab 1, 1′. To accomplish this, an anchoring bolt 11 has been placed in each case on the corresponding spot of the slab 1, 1′. The screws 6 are preferably expansion screws for applying pre-tension to press the slabs 1, 1′ with a defined force against one another.

FIG. 5 shows a section of a frontal side of slab 1 in laid state. In this embodiment, the slab 1 has been laid on a grit track formation 12 arranged on a supporting layer 13. On its upper side, the rail 2 is not fully sunk into the slab 1, but largely flush with a protective coating 14. The protective coating 14, which can be a travel way covering for road traffic or for sealing off the slab 1, for example, has been applied above the slab 1. The sleeve 3 has also been arranged in the area of the protective coating 14, between the protective coating 14 and the rail 2. The protective coating 14 can be manufactured together with the prefabricated concrete slab 1 or subsequently applied on the prefabricated concrete slab 1.

The slab 1 can be made either fully or partly of a kind of concrete (high-strength concrete, for example), as a result of which road vehicles can be driven directly on the upper side of the slab 1. To do this, a matrix is embedded into the casing during the manufacturing of the slab 1, and this matrix reproduces the travel way structure in the upper side of the slab 1. Thus, a brush stroke structure can, for example, be created on the upper side of the slab 1 or of the protective coating 14 if it is executed in such a way.

If a groove of the sleeve 3 has the same or smaller width n′ as the width n of the rail web 8, then the clamping force of the rail 2 can be affected as a result of this. If the width n′ is smaller than n when the rail 2 has not been built in, then the elastic sleeve is pressed together with more strength if the rail 2 is in its built-in state as if the groove in its unstressed state equals the rail web 8.

FIGS. 6 & 7 show a drawing of the invention in which the rail 2 has been built into a hump 20 of the prefabricated concrete slab 1. In this case, the rail 2 has been built once all the way up into the rail head 7 in the elastic sleeve. In the other drawing, no sleeve envelops the rail head 7.

FIG. 8 shows a lateral view of a slab 1 with hump 20. It can be seen that below the rail 2 or of the sleeve (not shown here) an opening towards the slab 1 is created over and over again through which accumulated rain or melt water can flow out between both rails 2 of a track that run parallel to each other. The openings are gaps of the hump 20 that are preferably arranged in the slab 1, in the area of indentations, which serve as break-off points of the slab 1.

The present invention is not restricted to the embodiment examples shown here. Combinations or modifications are possible within the framework of the patent at any time. For example, rail sections different from the ones shown here can be used or the elastic sleeve can have a different shape than the rail. 

1. Trackway made of concrete slabs (1) with rails (2) for guiding rail-bound vehicles such as trains or trams in which everyone of the rails (2) is arranged in a countersunk way in one groove of the slab (1) and guided by a elastic sleeve (3), the rails (2) have a rail head (7), a rail web (8) and a rail foot (9) wherein a minimum width (B) of the groove is larger than the maximum width (b) of the rail foot (9) characterized in that the concrete slabs (1) are pre-fabricated parts that have positioning elements and connecting elements on their end sides, that the concrete slabs (1) are firmly attached to each other, and that the rails (2) are longer than the slab (1) and are pressed into the elastic sleeve (3) of several slabs (1). 2-27. (canceled) 